Our Principles Daring Us to Rise in Spirit and Justice

The time
has now come upon us after many years of hard work. This coming General
Assembly in New Orleans, June 2017, we will vote to appoint a study commission considering how
we might change the First Principle (and/or other principles) to reflect the
inherent worthy and dignity of every being.

It has
been a beautiful process, full of joy and of pain, both of which are needed for
change. During this time I have seen in
you a growing depth, increasing connection to life and to others, startling and unexpected awe and wonder about
what life might hold for us, and a greater hope for justice of all kinds in
this time of peril. I have recorded a few comments from others:

"Reflecting
on the First Priniciple Project (FPP) has changed my life. I feel so much

more
compassion for myself and others."

“The FPP has surprised
me about the depths of interconnection and beauty that is in life.

It
has grown my faith in UUA and in my life."

“Our
UUA needs this gift, for ourselves and others as we nurture each other, the
earth

and
other species. If we can pass this it will help us towards improving our anti-racism work,

understanding
intersectionality, and promoting justice.”

Let me ask
you:

Will you take the risk to hold difficult conversations and feel uncomfortable, slowing
down and taking the time to reap rich rewards for the future?

Will you be
willing to let go of a perceived sense of separation from life, that causes the malaise of disconnection and loneliness?

Will you heal yourself so that you can heal an aching and disconnected world?

Will you dare to rise to see all life as interconnected in beauty, worth, and dignity,
growing compassion for humans, other species, and yourself?

Here is a
video asking if we dare to rise:

I hope that
the answer to these questions about growing love, compassion, and justice is
yes, for the world needs us as never
before. We can lead the way to help
others surmount the challenges before us, but only if we say yes to life, and
open ourselves to the risk of change and the responsibility that
interconnecting beauty and worth places upon us.

Loving every part of the world and embracing reality is a great
responsibility. I work in the most
dangerous country in the world for environmentalists, Honduras. There I partner
with the indigenous people in conservation and humanitarian projects that
promote environmental justice. This
is my calling as a Unitarian Universalist minister and wildlife veterinarian -
nurturing nature, ours, yours, theirs, the earth's. I approach this deeply meaningful work by
knowing that the health of each individual is inextricably interrelated - we
are one earth, and one health.

I heard this same sentiment expressed by Tomás, an indigenous leader of the
Miskito people in Honduras. I am there to witness and stand in solidarity with
the villages that wish to resist the overwhelming forces that seek to extract
their trees, steal their wild parrots for the illegal wildlife trade, take
their land, and impose violence, corruption, and the drug trade as a way of
life.

Tomás stood up to these forces that were destroying
his ancestral lands. For his efforts, he
made enemies who ambushed him one day, and he was shot 4 times. He nearly died. His whole village had to flee
because they were likewise threatened with their lives. Tomas's parent's house was burned to the ground. Yet, four months later
he returned to the ghost-like village to work with me and others on parrot
conservation. We had to hire a squad of
soldiers from the Honduran military to accompany us and keep Tomas and others safe. I asked him why he was willing to risk his
life. He replied, "Doctora, everything is at risk so I am willing to risk
everything. If the parrots don't make it, neither do my people."

I
agree that we must take care of the least of these, the most oppressed, and
ourselves as well. To do so we need to investigate the root causes that lead to domination, colonization, and
injustice. To do so I feel we need
conversation, reflection, and study, which may eventually lead to a change in
our principles.

I
beseech you to vote yes at the General Assembly and encourage other delegates to do so as well.. Let us together bring our principles to life.

In the
last 3. 5years there has been much produced documenting the views of Unitarian Universalists
and how we struggle and benefit from engaging in these issues. Please see the
ample materials at our main website:
www.firstprincipleproject.org and at our blog: www.ofeverybeing.blogspot.com

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Why This Blog?

This is a forum open to all for discussing the nature of life on earth. Specifically we are asking if species besides humans have worth and dignity. Aimed to be an open forum, we will invite authors to publish essays on a wide range of topics relating to the question, "Does every being have worth and dignity?" We also encourage comments and further discussion following each article. All viewpoints are welcome as long as they are written in a compassionate and respectful tone, and follow the spirit of the Unitarian Universalist Principles. This blog was inspired by the First Principle Project, and though originated by the Unitarian Universalist Animal Ministry, seeks to involve the wider community into two of its goals:

1. The Conversation: Invite as many as possible into a conversation about the religious, spiritual, and ethical aspects of living in a multispecies world. One question we ask: How do we understand reality and what is our response to this?

2. Changing Ourselves: Guide people as they seek to improve their ability to participant in and sustain these discussions, reflect more deeply and broadly about what it means to be compassionate in a multispecies world, and in so doing, augment their faith development, deepen their spiritual lives, and empower their compassionate behavior at the individual and collective level.